Chapter 3 - Red Line
Julian floored the accelerator. The tires screamed against wet flagstones, spewing gravel into the pristine rose gardens.
"Daddy!" Clara cried out, her small voice cutting through the thrum of the engine.
"Hold on, sweetheart! Close your eyes! Close your eyes right now!"
The iron gates were three feet from interlocking when the reinforced steel grille of the SUV struck them. The crash echoed through the storm like a cannon blast. The latch sheered off, the wrought-iron wings recoiling violently, scraping along the sides of the vehicle in a shower of sparks.
The SUV burst through onto the narrow winding country road, hydroplaning briefly before catching traction and rocketing away from the Sterling estate.
Julian kept his eyes glued to the rain-swept highway, his knuckles white against the steering wheel. He glanced back through the rearview mirror. Clara was curled in a fetal position, shivering uncontrollably. The skin around her right ankle was already purpling into an angry, raw hematoma where the iron had abraded the flesh.
"Clara? Look at me, baby. Are you hurt anywhere else?"
She didn't answer. She only stared at her lap, her small shoulders hitching with silent, trembling spasms.
Julian pulled out his phone, set it to speakerphone, and dialed a number he had sworn he would never call again.
"Marcus," Julian said the second the call connected.
"Julian? Aren't you supposed to be saying 'I do' to the biggest trust fund in the tri-state area right now?" replied Detective Marcus Cole, Julian’s former college roommate.
"I need an emergency medical examination that doesn't go through the county database. Off the books. Right now."
The lighthearted tone evaporated from the line. "Julian, what the hell happened?"
"Victoria chained Clara to a pillar in the ballroom. Left her in an iron cuff like an animal. I took her. We broke through their gates."
Marcus swore under his breath. "Julian, listen to me carefully. The Sterling family practically owns the district attorney’s office and half the precinct. If Victoria files a report claiming you abducted Clara from the venue while under a psychotic break—"
"I don't give a damn about the DA!" Julian roared. "My daughter has metal burns on her ankle and she won't speak! I need a doctor who can't be bought by Sterling money!"
Silence hung on the line for three agonizing seconds.
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"Take the Northway exit," Marcus said quietly. "Drive to Saint Jude’s Clinic on Eighth. Dr. Linda Campbell. I'll call ahead. But Julian... keep your eyes on your mirrors. Victoria doesn't use the police when she wants something cleaned up quickly."
Julian looked into his rearview mirror. Through the thick veil of rain, two sets of high-beam headlights were rapidly closing the distance behind him.
